1. Technical Field
This application relates to surgical instruments, and more particularly, to surgical instruments configured to articulate.
2. Background of Related Art
Surgical instruments configured to articulate are well known in the medical art. For example, one type of surgical instrument includes an end effector configured for articulation and configured to join tissue (e.g., surgical stapler, electrosurgical forceps, or other suitable device). Typically, such surgical instruments include a shaft extending from a handle and/or trigger assembly, an end effector assembly including a pair of opposing jaw members, and an approximation mechanism for approximating the jaw members. In some instances, a drive or knife bar (or other suitable device) operably couples to a knife blade and, collectively, are configured to sever tissue that has been joined (e.g., stapled and/or sealed). Typically one or both of the jaw members is adapted to receive the knife blade within a knife channel operably disposed on one or both of the opposing jaw members.
In the instance where the surgical instrument is a surgical stapler, one of the jaw members may support an anvil assembly and the other jaw member may support a cartridge assembly. In certain instances, a knife blade is translatable through a respective knife channel operably disposed with each of the anvil and cartridge assemblies. In some instances, the surgical stapler may be adapted to connect to a loading unit (e.g., disposable loading unit (DLU) or single use loading unit (SULU)) that includes an end effector assembly, which includes anvil assembly and a cartridge assembly for supporting a plurality of surgical fasteners.
In the instance where the surgical instrument is an electrosurgical forceps, one or both of the jaw members may support a seal plate. In certain instances, a knife blade is translatable through a respective knife channel operably disposed with each of opposing jaw members.
There may exist one or more practical challenges associated with surgical instruments that include articulation devices configured to rotate of one or more components (e.g., an end effector) associated with the surgical instruments. More particularly, the range of motion (e.g., amount of rotation) associated with the articulation device may be limited. This limited range of motion of the articulation device may inhibit and/or prevent the end effector and/or jaw members associated therewith from functioning in a manner as intended. That is, the jaw members of the end effector may not properly and/or effectively grasp tissue, which, in turn, may result in the jaw members providing an effect to the grasped tissue that is less than desirable, e.g., an incomplete formation of ejected staples within tissue, an incomplete seal of tissue, etc. In addition, the limited range of motion of the articulation device results in a radius of curvature adjacent the articulation device that is relatively small when the end effector is in an articulated position, such as, for example, when the en effector is rotated at an angle of 45°. Thus, in the instance where a drive or knife bar is required to push a knife blade, the small radii of curvature adjacent the articulation device may cause permanent knife bar deflection.